The Word made video

Created by: Jefferson Bethke of Tacoma, Wash., and CIKProductions of Seattle

Highlights: "If religion is so great, why has it started so many wars? Why does it build huge churches, but fails to feed the poor? Religion puts you in shackles, but Jesus sets you free. Religion makes you blind, but Jesus lets you see."

Rebuttal: "Jesus = Religion"

Posted on YouTube: March 31

Hits: More than 120,000

Created by: Orthodox Christian Network, a network of social media, including a website, blog and Web-based radio created by the Rev. Christopher Metropulos at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Fort Lauderdale

Highlights: "Religion's not the sickness; sin's the infection. Church is the clinic; Jesus heals the connection ... We're back where he started, where he meant us to be. We're one with the Godhead, and Easter's the key."

Jefferson Bethke of Tacoma, Wash., sparked a webstorm of reaction after posting a YouTube video in January that honored Jesus but not the religions that worship him.

Among the host of video responses is one from South Florida.

"Jesus = Religion" was an experiment of the Orthodox Christian Network, led by the Rev. Christopher Metropulos at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Fort Lauderdale. The website, myOCN.net, posts videos, podcasts and a blog, and streams services at St. Demetrios. The site has been adopted as a joint voice by Eastern Orthodox bishops of North and Central America.

Its video shows what a small, talented, determined group can accomplish. The OCN pulled from several spots in North America. Bev Cooke of British Columbia, one of the writers for the network's blog, The Sounding, composed the poem that's recited in the video. The onscreen speaker was actor Josh Padgett of California. He was filmed in front of St. Sophia Cathedral in Miami.

The producers even got the same music that Bethke used: "The Prophecy," by Tony Anderson of Lexington, Ky. Anderson posts his works on his website for others to use freely.

Amazingly, the video was made for $600, Metropulos says. Just about everybody worked as a volunteer. OCN paid $300 to $400 to fly Padgett from California for the on-camera recital. But Padgett didn't ask for a fee, says director George Gretsas.

"It felt like a mission," says George Gretsas, city manager of Homestead. "We wanted to show that religious institutions are important in promoting faith. The nice thing is that we have more avenues to communicate beyond our community."

In the diet of public conversation on faith matters, Metropulos says, the Orthodox can offer a missing ingredient.

"Orthodox Christians have not been coming to the table, so people haven't been getting 80 percent of the banquet of faith," the priest says. "The ancient historical church has something to offer."

"Jesus = Religion" is one of a host of videos responding to "Why I Hate Religion": one by a Catholic, a Muslim, an atheist, even another Eastern Orthodox Christian. Bethke released a follow-up video March 11, a sermon in Fort Myers explaining his motives for the original piece.

But Metropulos is so happy with the results for "Jesus = Religion," he's exploring ways to expand the studio at myOCN.net. He wants the capability to respond quicker when such issues come up.

The priest says new media present no basic problem for Eastern Orthodox Christians. He notes that the 19th century St. Innocent of Alaska traveled island to island to spread the gospel.

"He used the means at his disposal to reach out to people," Metropulos says. "I believe that if Christ were here with his disciples, he would use every method he could."

He says the network has more than a million users, and has grown by 50 percent each year for the past three years. His goal is 10 million.

At bottom, the Orthodox producers say they're not doing anything that others can't.

"Many people complain about the negative things on the Internet, but the Internet provides options for people," Gretsas says. "We hope our work will inspire others to do the same."